Two Michigan men were arrested in Robeson Township this week after delivering a compact John Deere utility tractor — which police say was stolen — to a resident who had agreed to buy the loader through Facebook Marketplace.
Police had the drop‑off location in the Green Hills area under surveillance. The buyer, who earlier this summer purchased three similar tractors from the same seller for a total of $37,500 before learning they belonged to Home Depot, provided investigators with the time and location of the planned transaction, police said.
Jammal Johnigan, 33, and Aaron D. Richardson Jr., 30, both of Sterling Heights, were taken into custody and committed to Berks County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail each to await a hearing. They are charged with theft by deception and receiving stolen property.
Police Chief Joseph M. Brown said the buyer routinely uses Facebook Marketplace to find bargain‑priced John Deere and Kubota tractors, which he repairs and resells.
Brown said the buyer — along with Home Depot — is a victim in the theft scheme, noting the man performed due diligence by checking vehicle identification numbers in an online database before each purchase. Because the tractors were rented from Home Depot, Brown said, there was a lag before overdue equipment was flagged as stolen.
According to the probable cause affidavit:
A Home Depot representative notified the buyer that three 31‑horsepower tractors he purchased this summer from a seller known as “Jamal” were actually owned by the company. They were valued between $32,400 and $37,200 each, but the buyer paid just under $13,000 apiece.
The victim agreed to proceed with another transaction — this time for a Kubota B26 compact tractor loader/backhoe for $12,500 — and contacted police. The drop‑off was set for Aug. 31.
Robeson police, assisted by Berks County deputy sheriffs and Brecknock Township police, established surveillance. Shortly before 3:15 p.m., Johnigan and Richardson arrived in a heavy‑duty pickup truck with Michigan plates, towing the Kubota on a flatbed trailer. Johnigan told the buyer he could buy the trailer for an additional $250.
As Johnigan drove the trailer down the driveway to complete the deal, officers moved in and arrested both men. The victim identified Johnigan as the seller of the three John Deere backhoes. Home Depot provided documentation showing those vehicles were worth a combined $106,577.
Investigators also learned the suspects’ 2021 Ford F‑250 was a Home Depot rental that was supposed to have been returned two weeks earlier.
Brown said the men are believed to be part of a larger multistate theft ring, and his department is sharing information with other agencies as the investigation continues.